The standard height above the floors of the seat of flush toilet is around 14 inches. For various purposes especially for use by invalids and persons confined, or partially confined, to a wheel chair it is desirable to raise the seat height somewhat. For such persons the most suitable seat height of a toilet may be such that the toilet seat is level with the seat of a wheel chair. For other purposes the toilet height may be less than the height of the wheel chair seat but higher then the height of the conventional toilet seat. For example, for some disabled persons e.g. those with arthritis who are at least partially ambulatory, a slightly higher toilet seat may be desirable so that they may descend to and rise from a sitting position more easily.
Specially designed toilets are available in which the seats are higher than standard level toilet seats. Such toilets for example of, say, 18 inches in height, are often provided with side rails or arm rests which, while being movable into or out of position, may be either an integral part of the toilet or a fixed fitting around it. Such toilets and their associated guard rails or arm rests may be very expensive and unattractive. They are generally unsuitable for installation in a private house in which it may be especially desirable to provide a toilet with a higher seat having a generally aesthetic appearance.
Usually toilets designed for the use of wheel chair patients have a seat level of about 18 inches, or generally similar to that of a wheel chair. Thus a wheel chair patient may draw the wheel chair alongside and lever himself from the chair seat to the toilet seat. However, such toilets of wheelchair seat level may not be suitable for ambulatory disabled persons who do not require such a high seat. (In this specification a person or patient will be referred to in the masculine for simplicity. All statements are intended to apply to persons of either sex). In the domestic environment the institutional type raised toilets are unsightly expensive and unsuitable.
Arm rests have always presented a problem of fitting securely while allowing easy access of a wheelchair due to the difficulty in fitting them securely in positions where they are useful, and also in providing suitable means for removing them when not required.
The present invention addresses the problems of providing elevated toilet seat facilities whether in a domestic environment or in a hospital or other public facilities, at a reasonable cost and which may be utilized with a variety of different standard toilet appliances of varying shapes.
By providing what is an essentially universal conversion kit, which is adaptable to substantially all standard makes and designs of toilet appliances, it becomes possible to manufacture the conversion kit in large volumes in a single design, which thus enables the conversion kit to be mass marketed at a reasonable price to the consumer, and reduces problems of distributors stocking numerous different designs and shapes of conversion kits to accommodate different shapes and designs of toilet appliances.
It must be born in mind that within the industry, there are many different toilet appliance manufacturers, and each manufacturer may manufacture a range of different designs of toilet appliance. Each toilet appliance may have a different "footprint". It will thus be apparent that the design of a universal conversion kit which is adaptable to substantially all of such toilet appliance designs of all major manufacturers in the market place presents something of a challenge.
Even in this case it will be appreciated that when referring to "all" designs, it will be apparent that there may be a few unusual designs either of domestic manufacturers or of foreign manufacturers which cannot be accommodated in a universal conversion kit. However, the likelihood of such few unusual designs being outside the scope of the universal conversion kit of the invention is not seen as a problem. Where a person wishes to employ the universal conversion kit of the invention, and finds that his home has one of the very few unusual designs with which the conversion kit is not applicable, it will generally speaking be simpler, and cheaper, for him to simply buy a new toilet appliance of a more standard design, which is probably relatively inexpensive, compared with the unusual design he may have in the house at the moment, and he will then be able to employ the universal conversion kit of the invention. He will thus be able to gain the benefits of the invention at a minimal additional cost.